[Starfury]

Question About Casting Multiple Spells:

Step 1 under Spellcasting describes Casting Multiple Spells. It basically works the same way as dual wielding weapons (splitting the Spellcasting + Magic dice pool in this case), save for modifiers:

Since the modifers per spell may be different, they are applied after you split the dice pool.

Does this apply to ALL modifiers? Specifically, I am trying to figure out how bonus dice from Specialization, Mentor Spirits, and Foci would fit in here.

By the book and barring errata, the only pool you split is the Spellcasting + Magic pool.

Just to clarify:  Would this also be the case for your Drain Pool?  Or would you split that to deal with the drain of both spells?

[Ryo]

Once you get up to 400 percent of the item’s value (12 extra dice), throwing money at the problem doesn’t get you any more dice. Even if you had money left to throw.

The rules on buying something on the black market say you get 1 extra dice for every 25% extra you spend, up to a maximum of 400% (12 extra dice).

Of course, the math on this is wrong. 400% would be 16 dice. 12 extra dice would be 300%. Obviously this needs to be errata'd, but which number is correct: 400% maximum, or 12 extra dice maximum?

[Carmody]

Once you get up to 400 percent of the item’s value (12 extra dice), throwing money at the problem doesn’t get you any more dice. Even if you had money left to throw.

The rules on buying something on the black market say you get 1 extra dice for every 25% extra you spend, up to a maximum of 400% (12 extra dice).

Of course, the math on this is wrong. 400% would be 16 dice. 12 extra dice would be 300%. Obviously this needs to be errata'd, but which number is correct: 400% maximum, or 12 extra dice maximum?

Or it can be understood as, you pay at maximum 400% of the original cost (which means +300%) which gives you +12 dice.

[Crunch]

]

Or it can be understood as, you pay at maximum 400% of the original cost (which means +300%) which gives you +12 dice.

What he said. The first 100% is the base price and you get no bonus for it.

[Xenon]

If you get zero hits on a spellcasting test to cast a spell, will the spell still [always] "fire" or will it [always] "fizzle"?



More specifically will an indirect area of effect combat spell scatter 2D6 meters (minus zero for zero hits) and deal Force damage to everyone (friends and foe) caught in the area (or will the attacking magician twitch his fingers and then nothing happens....)

[wraith]

Just a bit of clarification, is this the proper methodology?



Say you slap a quarter kilo of minimum rating (6) plastique in a directional shaped charge (45 degree arc to only blow into the room) onto an apartment door to blow it in.  Logic + Demolitions scores four successes. So our equation looks like this :

Rating + (Successes on Demolitions + Logic) x sqrt(number of kilograms of explosive)

[6 + 4] x sqrt(.25) = 10 x .5 = 5

So we've got a DV 5 explosion.

An explosive’s Damage Value is calculated
as its Rating (modified by the Demolitions Test,
if you made one) times the square root of the
number of kilograms used (rounded down). The
Blast value for a circular explosion is –2 per meter,
while the Blast value for a directional explosion
(up to 60 degrees in a specific direction)
is –1 per meter. When explosives are attached
directly to a target, the target’s armor is halved;
otherwise the explosive has an AP value of –2.
If an explosion destroys a barrier, it creates a
cloud of deadly shrapnel that threatens an area
far bigger than the actual blast—the shrapnel blast
has a DV equal to the explosive’s DV minus the
Structure rating of the barrier, with a Blast of –1/m.

If a character intends to destroy a barrier (or knock a hole
in it), resolve the attack normally. Since barriers can’t
dodge, the attack test is unopposed. The purpose of the
attack test is to generate extra hits to add to the Damage
Value. If a character got no hits, then only apply the base
Damage Value. The only way a character could “miss”
is if he got a critical glitch on the attack test, thus proving
themselves literally unable to hit the broad side of a
barn. A character may use Demolitions as the attack skill
if he has the proper materials and time to set charges.

Before rolling the barrier’s damage resistance test,
adjust the modified Damage Value to reflect the type of
attack, as noted on the Damaging Barriers Table.

Now then, onto what happens when it goes boom.

First, the barrier gets to roll a damage resistance test, with structure + armor.  Given this is a standard door, it has Structure 2 and Armor 4 per the chart on pg 197.  However, since this is an explosive placed up against the door, we're not done with the math and ready to roll yet.  Per the 'Damaging Barriers' chart on page 198, explosives in contact with the barrier get to use Base DV times two.  As this section quotes a completely different method of blowing up a door than the one under Demolitions :

We're going to assume the Base DV of this explosive is the one calculated above, despite it having the results of a demolitions + logic roll added in, as the rules on 197 state that the table's results adjust the modified DV.  So the next roll is as follows :

2 (structure) + 4 (armor) dice rolled vs 5 (base DV) x 2 (per damaging barriers chart)

So 6 dice vs DV 10.

Assuming an average roll on 6 dice, the barrier gets 4 successes.  This leaves 6 DV unsoaked, which is more than the 2 structure the door has, and thus the door has been damaged!

Per 'Damaging A Barrier', page 197-198,  The remaining 6 successes are divided by the door's structure to determine the extent of the damage. 1 square meter of hole is generated per multiple of the structure left over in DV.  Thus here, a 3 square meter hole would be generated.

We'll assume most apartments don't have a 3 square meter door.  Now back to page 436!

If an explosion destroys a barrier, it creates a
cloud of deadly shrapnel that threatens an area
far bigger than the actual blast—the shrapnel blast
has a DV equal to the explosive’s DV minus the
Structure rating of the barrier, with a Blast of –1/m.

The penetrating a barrier section on page 197-8 doesn't actually have any specifics at all as to how you actually destroy a barrier, only how to punch a hole in one.  In this case, I'm going to go with the assumption that if the hole is larger than the object, that object is destroyed.

This door has clearly been destroyed!

Therefore, anyone on the other side of this door needs to soak :

The 5 DV (AP-2) (Minus 1 DV per meter as this is a directional explosion) explosion/blast effect itself.

-AND-

The secondary shrapnel explosion, at :

5 (Explosion DV) - 2 (structure rating of the door) with a Blast of -1 per meter.

So the door is gone, and the guy standing behind it is soaking two hits, one at 5DV (AP-2) and one at 3 DV.

As this is a shaped explosion, the people on the outside of the door do not have to soak it as well. If this was a standard spherical explosion, they would have to soak 5 DV (AP-2) -2 per meter from the door.

I have intentionally assumed this apartment is big enough that we don't have to calculate the blast reflection as well.


Now we move on to the next combat turn, and hopefully success on the part of the runners storming the apartment.


You see the number of assumptions I had to make up there? This is why I'm asking if this is an errata point or rules as intended, because there are details missing and conflicting rules in these two sections that need clarification.  Also, there's a typo in the earlier part of that same rule on page 436. The rules for barriers are not on page 194 as quoted, they're on page 197.

[acolyte99]

Interaction between Edge and Extended Test:

Since the description of Push the Limit ist written with a normal simple test in mind, it says "Add your Edge rating to your test, either before or after the roll", so it uses it uses "test" and "roll" interchangeably.
In case of an Extended Test its a difference if I add Edge rating to the test (so I get +Edge die in every roll) or if I add Edge rating to one and only one roll of the dice. The other die rolls of which the Extended Test consists would not be affected.
It makes a huge difference, but from the way it's written (or rather not written), I can only houserule it, without being sure, what was intended.
Q: Does Edge in Extended Test apply to all die rolls in the Extended Test or only to one die roll?

[Reaver]

Interaction between Edge and Extended Test:

Since the description of Push the Limit ist written with a normal simple test in mind, it says "Add your Edge rating to your test, either before or after the roll", so it uses it uses "test" and "roll" interchangeably.
In case of an Extended Test its a difference if I add Edge rating to the test (so I get +Edge die in every roll) or if I add Edge rating to one and only one roll of the dice. The other die rolls of which the Extended Test consists would not be affected.
It makes a huge difference, but from the way it's written (or rather not written), I can only houserule it, without being sure, what was intended.
Q: Does Edge in Extended Test apply to all die rolls in the Extended Test or only to one die roll?

Given that Edge is basically "Universal luck", I would say that edge on an extended test either:

A: is not allowed. (could be used to clear a critical glitch, or the like I suppose)

B: only affects one (1) roll.

[John Smith]

I hate to be a dunce,  but I'm confused about how adepts use the Flexible Signature metamagic, since an adept's powers are not measured by Force.  Does this only apply to an adept's foci (if any?).  Or does the use of adept powers, such as Killing Hands, leave an astral signature on those affected by them?  If so, how is the level of Force determined?

[Arioch]

Any chance we can get some clarification on how power foci work? Do they add their rating to the magic attribute or do they just add a dice pool bonus to casting and summoning test?

[Kincaid]

It's been a little over a month since this thread has had some official-ish attention.  Is it still active?

[bull30548]

Flashbangs- Is there anyway to mitigate the damage of these because they seem over powered and if I throw three to five flash bangs at a party I render then incapacitated or dead.

Spirits: I used to use them to scare my street sams and make the mage just that much more useful.  Now the group just shoots them up and that is it.

[Starfury]

Flashbangs- Is there anyway to mitigate the damage of these because they seem over powered and if I throw three to five flash bangs at a party I render then incapacitated or dead.

Spirits: I used to use them to scare my street sams and make the mage just that much more useful.  Now the group just shoots them up and that is it.

I am new to this and all, but I would suggest not throwing 3-5 Flashbangs.  In real life, they are meant as a shock weapon to soften the target before a team moves in.  I do not think they are generally to be used in a barrage fashion.  As for spirits, they used to be only combatable in a specific way (spells or melee using different stats, if I recall correctly).  The fluff they wrote implies it is still this way, and it was so in previous editions, but in this edition, spirits apparently can be harmed by mundane ranged weapons.  I wonder if that might be an oversight?

Another question:
Has anyone found where the Augmented Attribute Maximum is listed?  It seems to be implied that this is different from your racial attribute maximum (and higher, too).  It is not in the Index.  I withdraw the question.  After more searching, I found the answer buried in the text on Page 94.

[ZeConster]

Flashbangs- Is there anyway to mitigate the damage of these because they seem over powered and if I throw three to five flash bangs at a party I render then incapacitated or dead.

Spirits: I used to use them to scare my street sams and make the mage just that much more useful.  Now the group just shoots them up and that is it.

If you get issues when you throw three to five flash-bangs at a party and don't give them any chances to escape from the blast zone, then maybe you shouldn't be doing that. Why are you even throwing that many at them in the first place? But yes, if you make characters soak 10S damage three to five times, they tend to go unconscious.

As for spirits: are you using the 5e Immunity rules properly? If we compare an Ares Alpha with regular ammo to a Force 6 Spirit of Man with 1 net hit, you've got 12P/-2 versus Hardened Armor 10 and 7 Body: that's 17 dice and 5 bonus hits on the soak test, so the spirit will take about 1.6 damage on average. So while it's true that with heavy guns or more expensive ammo, mundanes can now take out spirits, there's still the matters of hitting them in the first place and the spirits typically not being alone either.

[Michael Chandra]

Not to mention the Spirit using Fear on the Street Sam.